Château royal d'Amboise

Amboise

Favourite residence of the kings of the late Middle Ages, Amboise was the scene of a death that has become legendary: on 7 April 1498, Charles VIII struck his forehead on a door lintel and died the same day, aged 27. The chapel of Saint-Hubert, built in 1493 on the foundations of Louis XI's oratory and dedicated to the patron saint of hunters, is a jewel of Flamboyant Gothic with finely carved tufa decoration. Francis I installed Leonardo da Vinci at the nearby Clos Lucé — an underground passage, so it is said, linked the two residences. The Italian genius died at Amboise on 2 May 1519; first buried in the collegiate church of Saint-Florentin, he now rests in the chapel of Saint-Hubert, which regained its splendour in spring 2024 after two and a half years of exceptional restoration (3.5 million euros, some fifty craftsmen from ten trades). The château also carries the tragic memory of the Amboise conspiracy: in 1560, under the brief reign of Francis II, this harshly repressed Protestant plot marked the prelude to the Wars of Religion. Between royal glory, Leonardo's tomb and bloody remembrance, Amboise gathers within its walls all the stories of the Loire Valley.

Getting there : Amboise town centre, climb up from the Loire quays; château open to visitors all year round (ticket office); Amboise SNCF railway station nearby.

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound